Cow Face Yoga Pose

A man goes to a farmer and asks if he has any work for the day. The farmer offered the man £200 for the day’s work. The man thinks that this is fantastic money and goes off with his scythe into the cornfield and starts to cut the corn. He is blissfully happy as he normally only earns £100 for a day’s work.

Just after lunch the farmer takes on another man to cut the corn. He is only working half the day, and the two men work happily for a couple of hours side by side. When they stop to rest and drink water the first labourer says how happy he is to get £200 for his labour. The other man agrees that he too is happy to receive £200 for his labour too.

The first labourer instantly becomes unhappy with his money and wants to complain to the farmer. He has fulfilled the slogan of this blog post, and he has become unhappy as he made a comparison.

You must watch this principle in your working life, it is probably one of the reasons people are so secretive about what they earn. Unfortunately we become obsessed with comparing ourselves with our colleagues. Salary level, perks, job titles, company cars can all lead to comparison, jealously, feelings of injustice and a thief of joy.